By Ken Hansard
Every golfer who has ever stepped onto a tee box understands that golf is very much a mental game that can humble even the greatest players in the sport. However, very few of those players can honestly make the statement, as Salina South senior golfer Jackson Perry does, “My main goal for this season is keeping my scoring average in the mid 70’s.”
The average golfer would be thrilled just to someday reach the 70’s. But again, everyone, even Perry, must tamp down that little voice inside that sometimes gets in the way, “The biggest challenge will be the mental game. When you have a bad tournament, it’s easy to let it spiral into the next start.”
Perry, who has played varsity for the Cougars in each of his four seasons, worked hard on his mental game in the off-season, “I spent a massive amount of time in the summer just focusing on staying present, not giving thought to my score.”
Perry has been selected to play in a Pro-Am tournament at Pebble Beach, based on his skills and his involvement with First Tee. But right now, his focus is all on his senior season, “I see myself as an experienced leader for our team. I’ve played varsity every year so far – along with going to State, and that experience should be helpful for my teammates and for me. I am proud of our team. We made it to state as a team last year, and one of my teammates and I qualified for the second day of play.”
